Voltage-tuned wien bridge oscillator



March 11, 1969 o. A. FlCK 3,432,774

VOLTAGE-TUNED WIEN BRIDGE OSCILLATOR Filed Aug. 8, 1967 VARIABLE VOLTAGE SOURCE VARIABLE VOLTAGE SOURCE INVENTOR OLIVER A. F/cK ATTORNEX.

United States Patent 3 432 774 VOLTAGE-TUNED W IEN BRIDGE OSCILLATOR Oliver A. Fick, Livermore, Calif., assignor to the United States of America as represented by the United States Atomic Energy Commission Filed Aug. 8, 1967, Ser. No. 659,568 US. Cl. 331141 Int. Cl. H031) 5/26, 3/02, 5/38 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Background of the invention This invention relates to a class of oscillators commonly referred to as resistive-capacitive regenerative oscillators, and more particularly, to an electrical circuit utilizing field effect transistors as variable resistance elements in the reactive branches of such oscillators to provide voltage control of the frequency output thereof.

Resistive-capacitive oscillators are based on a principle of regenerative coupling achieved by amplifying a slgnal drive from one portion of a resistive-capacitive network, and simultaneously applying it, in phase with positive feedback, to another portion of the same network. A more detailed description of these oscillators may be found on pp. 482 to 484, in Electronic Measurements, McGraw-Hill, 2nd Edition, New York. In conventional designs of these resistive-capacitive oscillators, for example, Wien bridge oscillators, the frequency outputs thereof have been controlled by mechanically variable capacitive or resistive elements. While such devices have found Widespread use as variable frequency oscillators, it would be desirable to provide, in many applications, an oscillator capable of being controlled in frequency by a variable voltage source. For example, a voltage controlled Wien bridge oscillator, such as described here, may be used as VCOs in telemetry systems, bridge-tuned narrow band amplifiers, lock-in reference oscillators for synchronous amplifiers and detectors, sweep generators,

and voltage-to-frequency converters.

Summary of the invention Accordingly, it is a general object of the invention to provide an electrically tunable regenerative oscillator.

It is a further object of the invention to provlde a voltage controlled Wien bridge oscillator.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a simple, stable, light weight, electrically responsive oscillator, exhibiting low power consumption characteristics.

It is a more particular object of the invention to provide a voltage controlled Wien bridge oscillator productive of a frequency range from 0 cycles per second to approximately 1 megacycle per second.

It is still a further object of the invention to provide a Wien bridge oscillator having an electrical feedback network, such that operation of the oscillator at exceptionally low power levels is practical.

Accordingly, the invention described herein takes advantage of the uniquely high input and transfer impedance of field effect transistors, together with the voltage dependent resistive characteristics thereof, to provide a 3,432,774 Patented Mar. 11, 1969 resistive-capacitive regenerative oscillator having a frequency output dependent upon a variable voltage control signal, while maintaining isolation between the control signal and thte oscillator itself. In a particular embodiment of the invention, a Wien bridge oscillator, utilizing voltage controlled field effect transistors to provide variable resistive elements therein, also incorporates a novel electrical feedback network for stabilizing the amplitude output of the oscillator. This latter feature of the invention permits operation of the Wien bridge oscillator at extremely low levels of power consumption, thus rendering the circuit extremely attractive for space applications and other system applications where low power consumption is desirable.

Brie 1 description of the drawings Other important objects and features, together with a fuller understanding of the invention, will be presented by reference to the following specification and drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic diagram of a Wien bridge oscillator using .a pair of voltage controlled field effect transistors as variable resistive elements therein.

FIGURE 2 is a schematic diagram of a particular embodiment of the invention, utilizing an electrical feedback network including a third field effect transistor.

Description of the preferred embodiment Referring now specifically to FIGURE 1, a Wien bridge 10 is shown having a pair of nonreactive branches comprised of resistors 11 and 12, respectively connected in series between terminals 13 and 14; .14 and 15 (ground). A pair of reactive branches of Wien bridge 10 are serially connected across terminals 13 and 15, comprising serially arranged capacitor 16 and the drain source terminls 21 and 22 of field effect transistor 17 (hereinafter called FET 17), interconnected terminals 13 and 18; and parallel capacitor 19 and the drain source terminals 23 and 24 of field effect transistor 20 (hereinafter called FET 20), electrically connected between terminals 18 and 15. FETs tween gate terminals thereof respectively 25 and 26, through isolation resistors, respectively 27 and 28, to a first terminal of variable voltage source 29. A second terminal of source 29 is attached to ground. An input 30 to amplifier 31 is connected across opposing terminals 18 and 14 of bridge 10, while an output 32 is attached across terminals 13 and 15 (ground). The output of the oscillator appears across terminals 33 and 34 (ground).

In selecting the components for the circuit shown in FIGURE 1, in order to enhance the fidelity of the output signal and to provide convenient frequency control thereof, capacitors 16 and 19 are selected to be of equal value. FET 17 and 20 should have matched drain source resistance vs. gate voltage characteristics. Resistor .11 should be slightly greater than resistor 10, and resistors 27 and 28 should provide substantial impedance isolation between the respective gate terminals 25 and 26 of FETs 17 and 20.

In operation of the voltage controlled Wien bridge oscillator shown in FIGURE 1, the alternate series parallel reactive branches comprised of capacitors 16 and 19, and the drain source resistances of field effect transistors 17 and 20 provide a relative phase shift between the signal appearing across terminals 14 and 18 and the signal appearing across terminals 13 and 15. This phase shift is functionally dependent upon the frequency of oscillation of the signal appearing across terminals 13 and 15. Particularly, the phase shift between the bridge 10 input terminals 13 and 15 and the bridge 10 output terminals 14 and 18 approaches zero when the frequency of the bridge 10 output provides equal and opposing phase 17 and 20 are provided with connections be-' 4 shifts in the serial and parallel capacitive-resistive reac- FIGURE 2 shows an embodiment of the invention intive branches of bridge 10. For capacitors 16 and 19 equal corporating a unique electrical feedback network for to a common value (C), and for the drain-source resiststabilizing the output of the oscillator and further includances of FETs 17 and 20 equal to a common resistance some preferred refinements over the circuit shown in (R), this zero phase shift frequency (F) is equal to FIGURE 1. Those components set forth in FIGURE 1 (1/211'RC). Moreover, it is noted that at this Zero phase which reappear in FIGURE 2 are denoted by a primed shift frequency, the output of bn'dgc terminals 4 reference numeral corresponding to the reference numand 18 is amplified by amplifier 31 and applied across the erals in FIGURE 1. For example, FIGURE 2 shows a input of bridge 10 (terminals 13 and to Provide a Wien bridge 10 interconnected terminals 18', 13, 14' and positive feedback system due to the phase coincidence of 10 15' (ground), including FETs 17' and 20,; capacitors the input and Output Signals, thereby maintaining Cirnuit 16' and 19', and resistor 11'. In the embodiment of FIG- oscillations at the zero phase shift frequency. To achieve U 2, an lifi 31' i id d i h an input 35. a small output voltage across terminals 18 and 14 necesnected across bridge 10 terminals 13' d 14' A lifi r sary for operation of the circuit as an oscillator, resistor includes a diff ti l lifi r 3 having a f d- 11 is Slightly greater than resistor 12 to Provide a nominal 15 back compensating resistor 37 connected thereacross for unbalance of bridge 10 and thus an Output vnltagn Signal stabilization. The output of difierential amplifier 36 is across terminals 18 and .14. In summary, the oscillation f d through resistor 38 to the base f transistor 39 mode is provided by a regenerative coupling between the which transistor 39 is arranged i a collectoroutPut of bridge 10 (terminals 14 and 18) and the input resistor 41 and the collector voltage source 42. Transis- (tnfminals 13 and 20 tor 39 further amplifies the output of differential In order to Vary the Zero PM?e Shlfi frequsnw, amplifier 36, and provides an output voltage with respect the frequency of the oscillator output, the 16S1S'tlV6 inito ground at junction M1 The output Signal appearing at pedances appearing between the drain-source terminals of junction 40, ie the amplified signal presented across FETs 17 and 20 are simultaneously varied in response terminals and by the output of bridge is to a voltage slgnal from source 29 apphe'd to gate coupled to the input terminals 13' and 15', through blockminals 25 and 26 through resistors 27 and 28, respectiveing capacitor 43 and ground. Amplifier as in Note that the frequency Varies as (1/ where R URE l, for amplifier 31, provides the regenerative couequal to a common value for q m6 dram'source pling between the output and input of bridge 10 to form sistances of FETS 17 and It 18 known that for Small the basic oscillator circuit. The output of the oscillator reverse bias gateto-source voltages, field efi'ect transis- Shown in FIGURE 2 appears at terminals and tors (both of the M05 and iuncuon class). exhlblt a wherein capacitor 44 couples junction 40 with terminal functional variation in the drain-to-source resistance, for The Signal at junction 40 is also connected to a feed small signal variations in the gate-to-source voltage. Morebac'k network 46 over line 45, wherein the Output of Heb over, it is a characteristic of field effect transistors that Work 46 appearing across Variable potentiometer 60 com the input impedance gate'to'source impedance may trols the gate-source voltage of field effect transistor 47 be as high as Q megohms and h the p f (FET 47) and thus the drain-source resistance across impedance or is1at19n between the dram-source 61mm terminals 62 and 63 thereof. More particularly, feedback and 1.16 gate'source. clrcmt may on the Same 3 network 46 includes an amplifying means comprised of magmtude' Accordmgly tllese umque futures of PETS s transistor 48, biasing resistors 49 and 50, and an emitter have been utilized to provlde voltage controlled .frequqncy feedback network or gain control consisting of potentiomdependent, isolated resistive elements in the Wien bridge eter 51 and capacitor 52 and DC voltage sources 53 and Oscillator as Shown in FIGURE Wlthout the .hlgh 54. The base of transistor 48 receives an alternating curput Impedance equally hlgh t-ransfer- Isolation rent si nal through current-limiting resistor 55 and blockimpedance, as discussed above, electrical osc llations withing cagacitor 56 and produces an amplified signal thre in Wien bridge 10 would degenerate due to Inherent feId of at the collector of transistor 48, which amplified sig- F between Voltage control Source-29 and wl-en nal is applied acres a rectifying means comprised of diode budge proper Furthermore 1arge-mslstance rat"? Vana' 57 and capacitor 58 through resistor 59. Poteutiometer tions are exhibited across the drain source termmals of 60 connected betwen diode 57 and ground has a wiper field effect transistors approaching in some cases ratios attached to gate termin a1 61 of PET i providing greater than 9 to for Small slgnal gate'to'source 50 at gate terminal 61 a voltage divider selection of the voltage changes m the range of Zen? to 4 Volts 6 PET rectified voltage appearing across potentiometer 60 as It 18 noted hat the voltage applied to gate 2 26 supplied by the rectified and filtered alternating current 20 appears directly across the gate-mince termma S signal emanating from the collector of transistor 48. Field 24 of PET 20 due t9 the: connect)? of source effect transistor 47, connected with source terminal 62 minal 24 to ground terminal 15. At variance therewith,

the voltage applied to gate terminal 25 of PET 17 is de- 5 to telminal 9 and with i terminal 63 to veloped across both the gate-source terminals 25 and telimmal provlde? Secopd reslsuve branch for 22 of PET 17 and the drain source terminals 23 and 24 budge 9 2 12 of FIGURE of PET 20 due to the circuit path through FET 20 to Addlmnauy, embodlmeflt shown In FIGURE ground terminal 15. However, the gate-source impedance a cagacltor 1s conneifted across gatesom'ce term" of PET 17 is many orders of magnitude greater than the or] P 25 f 22 of PET 17 to Short out voltage f drain-source resistance of PET 20, and thus source ternous tendnlg to appear across gaie'source tenilmals minal 22 of PET 17 appears essentially at ground 15, of PET 17 due to t large 050111911118 slg'nals thereby providing for equal gate source voltage drops presented across drain-source terminals 21 and 22 of across both FETs. 17 and 20 for a common variable volt- PET 17 o u h u 1 ate source Volta evariak 5 The operation of the circuit shown in FIGURE 2 is ,i g z gigz fa f ggbg gg g draiisource essentially the same as described in comunction with FIG- 17 nd PET URE 1, with the following significant exceptions. As fi zfi f l'gg ifig gz zg of i circuit f FIGURE 1 briefly mentioned, capacitor 64 acts to filter out alterprovides, through the use of a pair of field eifect transis- Hating electrrlcal slgflals appeanlng across tors 17 and 20, resistive tuned regenerative oscillations termmals 25 f 22 of PET 17 More speclficauyalnr having .a frequency output controlled by a voltage signal clufied capacltnf 64 enhancen the q n ypm ent wherein the control voltage signal (source 29) is exceedresistance stability of the dra n-source terminals 21 and ingly electrically isolated from the frequency-dependent of PET by malntalnlng the gate-Source Voltage resistive elements, i.e., the drain-source resistances of thereof P1'0P0It10na1 3 the pn f Vaflable FETs .17 and 20' source 29'. It will be appreciated that a similar arrangement of a capacitor across the gate-source terminals of FET 20' will generally be of limited advantage in view of the relatively low amplitude voltage variation appearing across the drain-source terminals of FET 20' due to the parallel arrangement of capacitor 19' therewith.

Still more importantly, the embodiment depicted in FIGURE 2 incorporates an output-limiting feedback circuit comprised of FET 47 and feedback network 46. In conventional Wien bridge oscillators, it is common to conventional wien bridge oscillators, it is common to include in the branch between terminals 14' and 15' a thermal feedback element, e.g., a resistive lamp or thermistor. In such cases, in response to an increase in signal amplitude of the oscillator output (terminals 13 and 15') and a corresponding increase in the voltage across such a thermal feedback element, the resistance thereof increases, tending to balance the bridge, i.e., decrease the signal output appearing across terminals 18 and 14'. The decrease in the bridge output signal, accordingly, decreases the input to the amplifier and the output of the oscillator, thus tending to maintain the oscillator output at a desired constant level. Circuits incorporating thermal feedback elements generally require a certain minimum level of operational power, e.g., 40 milliwatts, and thus in many applications are undesirable. Accordingly, in FIGURE 2, FET 47 is included in place of a thermal feedback element and provided with a unidirectional feedback signal proportional to the output of the oscillator, which output appears at junction 40. In response to an increase in the output amplitude, feedback network 46 generates a continuous voltage signal, i.e., rectified alternating current, proportional thereto, which is applied across the gate source terminals 61 and 62 of FET 47. An increase in the output of the oscillator appearing at junction 40 induces an increase in the continuous voltage feedback signal which is applied to gate terminal 61 of FET 47, thus increasing the gate-source voltage and accordingly increasing the drain-source resistance of FET 47. This increase in the drain-source resistance, as presented across drain terminal 63 and source terminal 62, tends to balance bridge and decrease the input to amplifier 31', etfectuating a decrease in the oscillator output at terminal 40. The resultng operation is an electrical feedback circuit exhibiting enhanced stability, while operating at power levels below 40 milliwatts.

Without the intent of detracting from the broad scope of the invention, the following suggested list of components is included for the circuit of FIGURE 2, as an aid to those who desire to practice the invention:

Item Value or type Resistors:

11' 3K ohms. 27' lmegohm. 28' 1 megohm. 37 1 megohm. 38 82K ohms. 41 13K ohms. 49 2K ohms. 50 147K ohms. Potentiometer 51 1K ohm. Resistor 55 5.1K ohms. Resistor 59 10K ohms. Potentiometer 60 1 megohm. Capacitors:

' 16' .1 pf. 19' .1 ,uf. 43 22 ,uf., v. 44 50 ,uf., 15 v. 52 50 ,uf., 10 v. 56 10 ,uf., 10 v. 58 3 f, 10 v. FET 17 and 2N2500 (matched for R vs. V for a wide range of operation).

6 Item Value or type FET 47 2N2500. Transistor 39 2N697. Variable voltage source 29' 0-4 v. output.

Differential amplifier 36 Burr-Brown 1506. DC voltage sources:

42 13.5 v. 53 +135 v. 54 --13.5 v.

A device conforming to the above values has been constructed and tested; it was found to provide a variable frequency range from 25 cycles per second to kilocycles per second, exhibiting an exceptionally stable output over the entire frequency spectrum. Furthermore, the exceptionally low power requirements thereof made the circuit very desirable for airborne and space applications.

While FIGURE 1, and moreover FIGURE 2, show particularly advantageous embodiments of the invention, it will be recognized by those skilled in the art that numerous modifications thereof may be made to meet specialized applications. For example, in FIGURE 2, amplifier 31 may be a simple single-stage transistor amplifier or alternatively a two-stage multigrid tube amplifier. Furthermore, feedback network 46 may be of any number of designs providing a unidirectional electrical signal output proportional in magnitude to an alternating electrical signal input.

Thus, it will be appreciated that the foregoing disclosure of the invention is by way of example. Consequently, it is our intention that the following claims define the scope of the invention, rather than the specific embodiment shown and described above.

I claim:

1. An oscillator circuit capable of being controlled by an electrical signal, comprising:

(a) a resistive-capacitive regenerative feedback oscillator 0f the Wien bridge class having a frequency dependence on first and second two terminal resistive elements and including a pair of reactive branches and a pair of resistive branches, said oscillator further including an amplifier means for providing said regenerative feedback, a first of said reactive branches defined by said first two-terminal resistive element serially connected to a capacitor, the second of said reactive branches defined by said second two-terminal resistive element connected in parallel with a second capacitor;

(b) a first field effect transistor having a drain, source, and gate terminals; said transistor having said drain and source terminals connected in said first reactive branch to provide said first two-terminal resistive element; said transistor further having said gate and source terminals arranged for receiving an electrical control signal;

(c) a second field effect transistor having a drain, source and gate terminals; said second transistor having the drain and source terminals thereof connected in said second reactive branch to provide said second two-terminal resistive element; said second transistor further having the gate and source terminals thereof arranged for receiving said electrical control signal; and

(d) a third capacitor interconnected between the gate and source terminals of said first transistor to shortcircuit alternating voltages appearing therebetween.

2. The circuit of claim 1, further including a third field effect transistor having a drain-source resistance defining one of said resistive branches, and feedback means connected between said oscillator output and the gate, source terminals of said third transistor, for limiting the signal amplitude appearing at said output by controlling said drain-source resistance of said third field effect transistor.

(References on following page) 7 8 References Cited with Push-Button Frequency Selection, v01. 14, N0. 12,

pp. 3, 4, 5, August 1963.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Electronic Design, Digital Oscillator Provides Settable 3070762 12/1962 Evan? 333'70 Frequencies, Voltages, July 20, 1964, 2 pages. 3,127,577 3/1964 Lapointe 331-11O 3,289,102 11/1966 Hayashi 331-108 5 JOHN KOMINSKI, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R.

OTHER REFERENCES Hewlett-Packard Journal A Wide-Range RC Oscillator 3 31--109, 183, 110; 333-7O 

